The Life and Times of Minerva McGonagall
by Pilo927
Summary: Minerva McGonagall enters Hogwarts two years after the fall of Grindelwald. Grindelwald's followers are being rounded up, but his right-hand man has disappeared and remains at large. The Wizarding World may be at peace, but tensions lay below the surface. Can Dumbledore usher in a new era of peace, or will the Wizarding World devolve into darkness once more?


**Chapter 1:**

It was raining. It always seemed to be raining in Caithness, Scotland. A white cottage surrounded by oak trees stood on a grassy hill and overlooked a lake. A narrow-cobbled path wound its way from the front door to the edge of the water. Despite the rain, a small girl could be seen on the edge of the lake, yet she remained dry almost as if there was something protecting her from the rain.

At first, it appeared as if she were skipping stones, but instead, she bent down and picked up a small, writhing creature and threw it into the water. The creature let out a kind of gurgling yelp and made a tiny splash when it contacted the water.

"Minerva!" a male voice shouted from the cottage.

The girl turned back towards the house and when the man's head was turned, she annoyedly bent over the lake and splashed some of the water on her dress. She started walking back towards the house, yet she continued to remain impervious from the persistent rain. She was young, perhaps ten or eleven and had her dark hair pulled back into a tight bun fit for a ballerina. She wore black-rimmed, square glasses and a long-sleeved green dress.

"There you are, you know you aren't supposed to be outside when it is raining," the male voice said.

Minerva hesitated and looked up at her father, Robert McGonagall. Robert was a burly man with a thick, slightly greying mustache. He wore the tell-tale roman collar that bespoke of his status as the town's Presbyterian Minister. Robert was a strict man who lived his life by his deeply rooted religious principles, but he had a soft spot for Minerva.

"I was doing chores for mum," she explained, giving her father a soft, pleading look not to press her further.

He immediately stiffened and said, "Yes, well alright, up to your room then."

Minerva backed quickly out of the room, taking the stairs to her bedroom two at a time. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it and let out a long sigh.

Minerva's room had a slanted ceiling, with a small, cushioned window alcove. The entire room was filled-to-the-brim with bookcases, some of which had waving figures on the cover. Books lay in piles next to the alcove and on the end table next to her bed. One wall was adorned with a large framed picture of her family standing in front of her father's church. Her parents wore serious expressions that contrasted with her younger brothers' carefree demeanors and smiles that revealed missing teeth. Minerva stared at the photo and sighed, gently pulling out a small wooden stick she had stolen from her mother's dresser from her pocket, and tapped the photo once. The picture immediately changed to a large, looming castle overlooking a lake.

Everything had changed around a year ago when Minerva had locked herself in her room so that she didn't have to go to church one Sunday morning. Instead, she had picked up the book she was reading and cozied up in her alcove. After 20 minutes, her father managed to find the spare key, and let himself in. Minerva jumped up, and, before Robert could say a word, a tabby cat was sitting in the place where she had just stood.

It had all come out after that. Her mother Isobel explained to Minerva that she was a witch and had studied at a school for witches and wizards called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She explained she was a kind of wizard police officer called an Auror, and that the Wizarding World had been embroiled in conflict for the last several years because of a dark wizard named Gellert Grindelwald. She told Minerva that she had moved the family to a remote muggle village in Scotland because she had broken the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy by telling her father that she was a witch and that she had to protect the family from people in the wizarding community that would object.

Ever since it had been very tense within the McGonagall household. Her mother had explained to Minerva that while her father loved her and his family, magic directly contradicted his religious servitude, and he often struggled within himself. Magic was never discussed openly, and when it alluded to he would often sit in silence staring off with a blank expression on his face. Her younger brothers, Malcolm and Rob, were both too young to understand what was going on, but Minerva was already helping her mother hide their accidental magic from her father.

Just as she was thinking to herself how dark it was getting outside, she heard her mother call for her from downstairs, "Vera, come down here!"

Minerva bounded down the stairs and was surprised at the sight of a large, tawny owl sitting on top of the turkey, her father looking displeased and her mother choking back tears. The owl held out its leg with an almost exasperated expression and Minerva carefully detached the letter. She held the letter in her hands, excitement bubbling under the surface. The envelope did not have a return address, but instead simply stated:

**_Ms. Minerva G. McGonagall_**

**_The Largest Bedroom_**

**_17 Keyon Lane_**

**_Caithness,_**

**_Scotland_**

She turned over the envelope in excitement and tore the red seal adorned with a magnificent crest and pulled out two folded pieces of parchment. She opened the first one and read:

* * *

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_**

**_Headmaster: Armando Dippet_**

**_Dear Ms. McGonagall,_**

**_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._**

**_Yours sincerely,_**

**_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_**

**_Deputy Headmaster_**

* * *

Her eyes widened and she looked excitedly at her mother, who was quietly crying into her handkerchief. Her father stood over her, one hand on her shoulder, with an odd expression on his face. Before she could ponder what this could mean, she turned back to the second page and continued reading.

* * *

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_**

**_UNIFO_****_RM - _****_First-year students will require:_**

**_1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_**

**_2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_**

**_3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_**

**_4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_**

**_Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags._**

**_COURSE BOOKS - _****_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_**

**_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) b_****_y Miranda Goshawk_**

**_Magic Throughout the Ages _****_by Barbary Dusselbog_**

**_Magical Theory _****_by Adalbert Waffling_**

**_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _****_by Emeric Switch_**

**_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _****_by Phyllida Spore_**

**_Magical Drafts and Potions _****_by Arsenius Jigger_**

**_Defending the Dark Arts: A Beginner's Guide _****_By Alexandre Caldwell_**

**_OTHER EQUIPMENT_**

**_1 wand_**

**_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_**

**_1 set glass or crystal phials_**

**_1 telescope_**

**_1 set brass scales_**

**_Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad._**

**_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS_**

**_ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK_**

* * *

Minerva looked up from her letter smiling and clutched the letter close to her chest.

"I got in," she stated simply. Little did she know, that nothing would be simple after that.


End file.
